What do you see when you imagine the “picture of health”? Do you see someone who is laid up in a bed, in the 80s, who cannot fend for themselves? Or do you see that same 80-year-old person living in their own house and doing their own yard work? Many may think the latter is impossible, but it is not. In fact, this is totally within your grasp. Aging is a process we all have to go through, but it does not have to be bad. In fact, it can be quite rewarding if you take your own health and fitness into your own hands.

When it comes to proper health and fitness, there are two main factors – your diet and your exercise routine. Over the years people have been taught that in order to be considered to be “fit” you had to work out – cardiovascular – for hours a day. However, for proper health and fitness, this is not the case. When it comes to good health and fitness you must have one thing – healthy muscle tone and mass.

This is something many people do not think of. Unfortunately we have been trained / taught that proper health and fitness simply means that you are slender and eat like a bird. This is not to say that you need massive muscles like a body builder – leave that to the professionals. It simply means that you work, tone, and build the natural muscles that your body has. Working out 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes a session will push these muscles to their max; you will look good not bulky so don’t fret.

Here’s the cool thing, muscles naturally burn fat too. So, what this means is that as you work and tone your muscles – throughout your life – you shouldn’t really have to worry about fat mass because you will already be working it off. As you can see this is a great start to proper health and fitness. But, remember, make these changes part of your life; if you want them to work they are not temporary.

Okay, so to feed your muscles and your body, and work towards proper health and fitness you must also eat a well-balanced diet. This is to say, stop cutting calories and make sure you are eating enough to fuel your body. The average person should be eating 1500-1800 calories every day. (With a proper strength training routine you will likely be closer to the larger end of the scale.) Over time you will find what works best for you as each person is just a little different.

But, for true health and fitness you need to go back to the basics of the food pyramid; stick with the outer aisles of the grocery store – fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and nuts and grains. If you fill 80% of your diet with these foods you will be the image of health and fitness. The combination of these two lifestyle changes will put you on the path to being that 80-year-old doing your own yard work; you will be the elder person that everyone is either envious of or dreams to be.

Like it or not, aging is a part of life, and with aging come many challenges that negatively affect one’s health and fitness. One such ailment that has affected over 10 million Americans is Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by decreased bone mass and the loss of bone tissue. The name literally means, “porous bones,” or “holes in bones.” That doesn’t sound too nice now does it?

Osteoporosis is characterized by the progressive thinning of the bones in your body. This results in weak brittle bones, which is extremely susceptible to fracture. Sufferers of osteoporosis commonly see such fractures in the hip and spine. Injuries in these regions of the body greatly affect their health and fitness level. Osteoporosis-related injuries can often last for long periods of time, sometimes resulting in hospitalization.

Though 10 million Americans currently have Osteoporosis, studies show that an additional 34 million people suffer from low bone mass and thus likely to develop the condition as they grow older (according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation). These same studies assert that the cost of osteoporosis-related fractures will amount to $25 billion by 2025. A common misconception is that Osteoporosis is a condition that only affects the health and fitness of elderly people. While it is true that the symptoms of this disease often don’t manifest themselves in people under the age of 50, the condition often begins much earlier.

What causes this common, painful and debilitating condition? Like every other part of your body, bones are living tissue, consisting of cells. These cells both build and break down bone. Think of it this way, bones are perpetually in the process of remodeling. This process takes place within what is called the extracellular matrix. The composition of this matrix determines the strength of one’s bones. By about the age of 30, bone reaches its peak in strength and density. From this point, bone strength and density gradually decreases, sometimes to dangerous levels, as in the case of osteoporosis.

Though the gradually weakening of one’s bones is inevitable, there are ways to prevent the more damaging consequences osteoporosis. One central ingredient in the prevention of osteoporosis is making the commitment to enhance your level of health and fitness. Studies show that fitness exercises that force you to work against gravity are very beneficial in slowing bone loss. When one engages in strength training, force is applied to the bone. This creates the necessary stimulus for new bone formation. In other words, regular exercise not only increases muscle health and fitness levels, but it also increases bone mass!

What kind of fitness exercises are we talking about here? Strength training refers to resistance creating exercises such as the use of dumbbells, rubber tubing, kettle bells or the various machines available at health and fitness centers. To determine the best fitness routine for you, it is best to consult a personal trainer. He or she will guide you towards what exercises will be best effective for your body type and life situation.

Building strong bones through physical fitness is perhaps the best defense against the development of osteoporosis. Whatever your age, it is never too late to make an investment in your health and fitness. In making a small investment of your time and energy today, you will be making an important step in preventing a physically debilitating condition in the future and look forward to a longer healthier life!

There are fitness experts everywhere! Ask anyone how you can lose a few pounds, and you’ll get a different answer from every one of them. Some get great weight loss results from working out everyday, and some get great results from working out only a couple days a week. We all have unique needs when it comes to diet and exercise, but there are a few tips that apply to everyone. So, what are the key points to look for in your next health and fitness program?

The number one benefit a health and fitness program can have is to improve upon your overall fitness levels. While you may find specialized diet programs appealing, you won’t be getting all the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle change.

The best health and fitness programs are designed to not only change your physical appearance, but also help you to overcome the emotional obstacles that cause us to be unhealthy in the first place. A person who has gone through this life-changing process can be the best source of information when you’re looking to improve your health. Sometimes the best advice you can get is from someone you know.

If a particular fitness program has got your interest, you should start researching before you commit. You can most often find honest reviews of actual users on weight loss forums. If you’re having problems finding any information, the product or program could be too new, or not well-received by the weight loss community.

Another huge factor in any health and fitness program is the cost. Lots of weight loss facilities will boast their sophisticated equipment to justify the costs of joining, but there are many lower cost options available. Whatever you decide to do, make sure your benefits outweigh your costs.

Take your time researching fitness centers and diet programs before you make the commitment to your health and fitness program. Choosing the best fitness facility and program for you can be the most important step in your weight loss efforts!

In the recent decade the importance of health and fitness has been increased to a greater extent. In today’s era physical health is of utmost importance. Reducing those extra kilos helps you look better and the good news is you do not need to just rely on doctors or medicines in order to get your desired looks. Here I would like to comment that gaining the perfect health or in other words reducing weight is not an easy task. But once you have done that you surely cherish as well as show off your physical health.

We can make out the importance of health and fitness with the increase of spas, health clubs, fitness equipments, exercise programs, nutritional supplements, etc in today’s day to day life. These facilities provide fitness to not only men’s health but also to women’s health. The demands of these facilities are increased as everyone wants to be fit and participate actively in chosen day to day activities. Also today’s generation looks forward for an active lifestyle once they retire. Here I would like to comment that good health is a result of constant efforts and it takes years to get that desired health and fitness. It’s really dumb if you try to repair the damage after it’s done.

Also when it comes to health and fitness the most common question asked is how can one tighten or tone muscles. Now the muscles can either be of hands or legs or stomach. Here I would like to comment that in order to reduce some muscles one needs to tone the muscles of entire body. You can never reduce or tone muscles of one specific body part. One needs to do some cardiovascular activities in order to reduce or burn those extra fats. Now the question is what is a cardiovascular activity? Jumping rope, jogging, swimming, walking, step aerobics, etc. all these are cardiovascular activities. Always remember never start a cardiovascular activity as a standalone as you also need some strength training exercises. The strength training exercises helps you to tone as well as build muscle mass for your concerned areas.